Out of Bounds
by kittykonga
Summary: Have you ever locked eyes with a stranger from across the room? [Sakuracentric] AU


_I am not in love._

_This is not what love feels like._

After hours of getting ready, she was finally on her way. Sakura had been invited to a fundraising dinner at a fancy hotel. She had absolutely nothing to wear so she had to improvise. She decided to borrow one of her mother's new dresses. It was light green and matched the color of her eyes. Her mother complimented her saying how beautiful she looked. But Sakura felt as if she were a child playing dress up. She couldn't help but feel nervous about her appearance and her presence at the dinner. There were going to be so many people there! This was one of the first "grown up" dinners she would attend.

The only thought that crossed Sakura's mind as she entered the ballroom was how breathtakingly beautiful it was. There were large crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceilings, fresh roses adorned every table. She could practically feel the walls ooze extravagance and wealth. Her parents had left to mingle with the crowd, leaving her to her own devices. She couldn't help but feel inadequate. Compared to the women who were dressed to the nines, she felt under dressed in her mother's dress. But she quickly forgot her doubts once she saw another other girl dressed similarly to her. Deciding she'd rather not spend the dinner in solitude, she made her way over to the girl.

"Hi! I'm Sakura. Do you mind if I hang with you tonight?" The girl in the pale, orange dress replied, "Hey! Sure you can! I'm Ino." The fundraiser had begun and the speaker had started the art auction portion. Sakura and her new acquaintance decided to leave the ballroom and sit outside in the hall. After discussing subjects ranging from school to books they enjoyed, Sakura and Ino quickly discovered they shared similar interests and hobbies. Feeling curious about the rest of the venue both girls decided to explore around. They went up the nearby stairs where they discovered a door labeled balcony. Quietly sneaking in, they were surprised to find the balcony was directly above the ballroom they had exited. Sakura could see her parents sitting a table near the stage conversing with their colleagues. From this viewpoint she could see everything but she would be invisible from everyone else. Ino was growing restless and wanted to go explore some more. Sakura told her that she could leave and she'd meet up with her after. Ino left and Sakura watched as she reentered the ballroom. Finally alone, Sakura was content with just staying up here in the balcony. Sakura liked that she could freely observe the others below without the pressure of being observed herself.

A movement, from the corner of the room, drew her attention, to a group of boys, who had just entered. One boy in particular caught her eye. The boys around him were jostling and shoving one another to their seats. She couldn't help but think how immature and disruptive they were being. But _he_ wasn't. He had a mature air about him and walked almost gracefully to his seat. He didn't sit down immediately, Sakura watched as he looked around the room, observing almost like she had. She wasn't prepared for him to gaze up and look directly at her. She couldn't help the involuntarily gasp that left her mouth. She could feel her eyes widen, she probably looked like a silly doe. She knew that there was no chance he had heard her silent gasp, but the smirk he shot her suggested otherwise. Sakura, mortified backed away from the railing; she couldn't believe she had been caught staring. He was probably going to think she was some kind of creeper. This was just her luck, the first time she attends an event like this and she already went and embarrassed herself. Feeling her heart beat return back to normal she risked another glimpse. She couldn't hide the disappointment when she saw the boy was no longer sitting at the table. He probably moved seats so she wouldn't be able to see him. Feeling lousy, she turned to leave when she felt her heart stop.

"Looking for someone?" a male voice drawled. Sakura almost had a heart attack, the boy from below, stood in the doorway. She couldn't help but stare at him. She could feel her cheeks heating up. He was absolutely stunning. He was wearing a blue button down, dress shirt with black slacks. Dark hair and dark eyes. Sakura was mesmerized. He was her definition of tall, dark and mysterious. Her ogling didn't go unnoticed to the boy who had also done a bit of staring albeit more discreetly. "Well, are you going to answer me?" the boy asked. Sakura broke out of her trance and replied "Yes, I was looking for my friend." "Oh really now?" The boy gave her a charming smile, but his eyes gave away his mirth. He knew she was lying. Sakura felt silly, at how easily he saw through her lie, she didn't know how to respond. "Why don't I keep you company while you look for your friend." the boy said. "Oh I think I see her down there, thank you for offering! I think I should go down before she worries." replied Sakura. The boy had moved, no longer standing by the door but leaning on the railing. Sakura couldn't help but admire how beautiful he was. His eyes crinkled as he smiled at her and said "Of course, can't keep a pretty girl like you up here with me for too long. People might get the wrong ideas." Sakura gave a nervous laugh and nodded her head in agreement.

She felt sluggish as she made her way out the door and down the stairs. She leaned against one of the walls and tried to control her racing heart. He had called her pretty! She couldn't believe it, had he been flirting with her? She could feel herself blushing furiously all over again. Taking a couple minutes to compose herself, she made her way into the ballroom. She spotted Ino immediately and briskly walked over to her. Ino looked surprised at her appearance. Sakura must have looked way too flushed for a girl who was merely sitting on a balcony for half the night. Quickly pulling Ino to the side, Sakura told her all about her encounter with the mysterious boy. But she curiously omitted the part where the boy had called her pretty from the story. Ino listened attentively and then started to chuckle once the story was done. Sakura was confused, she hadn't said anything that funny had she?

"Do you know who he is? What his name is? What grade he's in?" she asked. "His name is Itachi. He's eighteen and he's a senior this year." Ino responded. Sakura felt her heart drop. The giddiness and excitement she had felt vanished. She wasn't even paying attention to what Ino was saying anymore. "He was totally flirting with you! I think he's interested; you should give it a shot!" said Ino. Sakura felt someone looking at her. She looked up and saw Itachi leaning on the balcony watching her. He sent her a boyish smile but she averted her eyes, ignoring it. Ino had noticed that she had gone silent. "Hey, Sakura are you okay? What's wrong? You have no worries; he dates girls older than him all the time!" said Ino. Sakura felt like she was going to cry. Sakura felt the butterflies in her stomach turn to lead. She felt like she was going to be sick. "I can't date him Ino." she choked out. "Why not?" Ino warily asked. "Because…because I'm only fourteen." Sakura whispered. Sakura didn't notice Ino's look of surprise at her revelation. Her feelings and emotions were churning up a storm within her.

_This was not a crush._

_This was not what love feels like._

**_This was heartbreak_**_._

* * *

_AN:_ Hello readers! I just wanted to say thank you for reading my first story! :) Please leave a review if you have time! I'd love to know your thoughts and feelings on whether I should continue!


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